The Threats of Technology In today’s society, technology is a very useful tool that is used all over the world. However, in the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, technology is used as a control over citizens. The dystopian fiction is about a man named Guy Montag who is a fireman in the town. During the time in the book, firemen burn books, because they are considered “evil.” After Montag meets his neighbor Clarisse, he sees how burning books may be unnecessary. Also, he realizes that technology may be controlling society and even his wife, Mildred. In the novel, one’s identity can be lost if one is being controlled by someone or something else. Mildred and her friends are sucked into the screens around them, and they seem to not know what is happening in real life. For example, Mildred sees …show more content…
For example, when Mildred’s friends are over and Montag asks where the husbands are, one of the women says, “Pete was called yesterday and they said he’d be back next week” (Bradbury 91). After Montag asks where he’s been called to and gets his answer that he’s fighting in the war the same lady tells Montag, “He said if I get killed off, you just go right ahead and don’t cry, but get married again, and don’t think of me” (Bradbury 91). Technology is brainwashing the women into not even caring if their husband is dead or not. The screens and seashells in their ears are rotting their brains and making them so they don’t have any feelings or desires in life. In addition, when Montag asks where he and Mildred met she replies, “I don’t know” which shows she is so persuaded by watching the screens that she can’t remember a big moment in her life (Bradbury 40). The government is using all of this equipment that they have access to and using it on people just so there are no ideas in the world. The consequences and effects of technology are truly shown through Mildred and her friends’